Latest news with #WolverhamptonWanderers'
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Roma hold exploratory talks for Fabio Silva
Roma is looking for a versatile striker for Gian Piero Gasperini. One of the names at the top of the list is Wolverhampton Wanderers' striker Fabio Silva. As reported by Corriere dello Sport, Massara is closely monitoring the situation and has already held exploratory talks with the English side. Silva's contract with the English club is expiring, a factor that could facilitate a deal for the Giallorossi. Silva began his Premier League adventure in 2020, but over the years he has been loaned to various teams, including Las Palmas. Despite his central striker role, Silva also has the right characteristics to adapt as a left winger, a position Gasperini is looking to strengthen. Wolverhampton Wanderers' asking price is around €15 million, a figure that could be within Roma's reach.
The Star
18-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Sarabia to join Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi after leaving Wolves
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - April 20, 2025, Wolverhampton Wanderers' Pablo Sarabia celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo
Toronto Sun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Manchetser United completes signing of Brazil forward Matheus Cunha
Published Jun 12, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 1 minute read Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha and Brentford's Nathan Collins, right, in action during the English Premier League soccer match. Photo by Nick Potts / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Manchester United completed the signing of Brazil international Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The 26-year-old forward signed a five-year contract to 2030, with the option of a further 12 months. 'Ever since I was a child in Brazil watching Premier League games on TV at my grandmother's house, United was my favourite English team and I dreamed of wearing the red shirt,' Cunha said. United paid a reported 62.5 million pounds ($84 million) for Cunha, who is expected to be one of several signings for the fallen Premier League giant as coach Ruben Amorim looks to overhaul his squad following a woeful season. Cunha scored 17 goals for Wolves last season. The United attack had the fifth worst scoring record in the English top flight last term. 'All my focus is now on working hard to become a valuable part of the team, and helping get this club back to the top,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. United was 15th in the standings, its worst position since the Premier League era began in 1992. It also had its most losses in a Premier League season and recorded its lowest points total. The joint record 20-time English champion has gone 12 years without the title since last winning it in former manager Alex Ferguson's final season in 2013. 'Bringing in Matheus was one of our main priorities for this summer, so we are delighted to have completed his signing so early in the window,' said Jason Wilcox, United director of football. 'He has proved his ability to succeed in the Premier League as one of the most exciting and productive forwards in England during his time at Wolves, and before that in Spain and Germany. 'He has all the qualities we are looking for as we seek to build a strong, dynamic and entertaining team capable of challenging for the biggest honors.' As well as Cunha, United is also interested in Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, Celebrity World World Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls
New Statesman
19-05-2025
- Health
- New Statesman
Parity of esteem has never been delivered
A fan holds a sign promoting mental health awareness, outside Wolverhampton Wanderers' Molineux stadium. Photo by Dan Mullan / Getty Images. Before becoming an MP, I worked in the NHS for 22 years, primarily in mental health services. In my previous profession, I had seen the worst of it: children as young as nine self-harming, and people taking their lives whilst on waiting lists. The so-called 'parity of esteem' the coalition government had spoken about was never delivered. In fact, mental health services were some of the first to be cut as the NHS's budgets tightened in the austerity period. But since then we have seen drastic social changes which have worsened young peoples' mental health. Generation Z are more dependent on social media and more isolated from their peers. Technology has become both more central to their daily lives and accessible from an early age. As a result, their need for mental health services has increased at a time when they have been depleted and it's harder than ever to access treatment. Our system and attitudes towards mental health are outdated. The fact it has taken 42 years to update the UK's primary piece of mental health legislation is perhaps the biggest indictment of how reluctant we have been to address it. I was pleased to hear in the King's Speech that this government is ready to grasp the nettle of mental health reform and pass a new Bill that addresses the multifaceted issues caused by the 1983 Mental Health Act. That includes the lack of autonomy given to patients, and the class and racial disparities of those detained under the provisions of the law. Many patients are reliant on the NHS for long-term care after being discharged, and we cannot solve the crisis unless we look at a wider approach which encompasses social care, local agencies to support patients who need rehousing, and, most importantly, rethink what we expect from the NHS. Legislation can only take us so far. I know from my own experience that recruitment and retention is something the government must consider in their Workforce Plan – expected to be published this summer. Fewer people want to become mental health nurses, and it's understandable why: hours are long, and the pay is low compared to the private sector. This means that we rely on huge numbers of foreign workers, which is unsustainable. The long-term solution is to incentivise local people to begin lifetime careers in the NHS. That means investing in the workforce, not trying to constantly do more with less. We must be willing to talk about the merits of other reforms outside of the healthcare system – such welfare reforms in the government's Get Britain Working plans. I know from my previous profession that many people with mental health issues and long-term health conditions can thrive in the workplace when given the necessary support, and it can hugely benefit their mental wellbeing. The Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall was correct in her assessment that health and welfare are 'two sides of the same coin'. This can be seen most of all in young people. The Neet population (not in employment, education, or training) has been growing – it is around one in eight people aged 16-24. These people have disproportionately high mental health issues. We currently have 2.8 million people locked out of work due to long-term health conditions – 200,000 of whom are actively searching for employment. Part of the future of the mental health system will be providing the correct support for people – helping them raise their living standards and improving their mental health. The mental health system will be in a constant state of evolution. My former colleagues in the mental health sector will be learning to grapple with issues faced by a generation increasingly dependent on technology which makes them more connected with the rest of the world, yet more isolated from their peers and more in need of mental health services than ever before. This article first appeared in the 15 May Spotlight policy report on Healthcare. To read the full report click here. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
New York Times
21-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Vitor Pereira saved Wolves' season: Tactical clarity, dealing with problem players and meeting fans in the pubs
Wolverhampton Wanderers' players knew things were changing when Vitor Pereira cancelled Christmas. The Portuguese coach was appointed on December 19 to lead a team that was spiralling towards Premier League relegation. Among his first decisions was to cancel the day off the squad had planned for December 25. Advertisement Under Gary O'Neil, who was sacked to make way for Pereira with Wolves second-bottom of the table after 16 games, the players had been scheduled to spend Christmas Day with their families before the home game against Manchester United the following evening. Pereira, however, insisted on adding an afternoon training session to their schedule. Wolves won 2-0 against United at Molineux, having also beaten fellow strugglers Leicester City 3-0 in Pereira's first game on December 22. A revival was underway. Yet few would have predicted back then that Wolves would seal survival in mid-April with a victory against the same opponents at Old Trafford. Pablo Sarabia's stunning free kick in Sunday's 1-0 win also completed their first double over United for 45 years and Wolves' fifth successive top-flight win, a run they had not managed since the 1970-71 season. Having edged away from relegation trouble for much of Pereira's reign, Wolves soared clear in recent weeks and the celebrations on a sunny afternoon at Old Trafford, featuring a full-squad fist pump towards away fans, summed up a newfound confidence that seemed inconceivable four months ago when Pereira was parachuted in. The 56-year-old seemed floored by those final few steps over the survival line. He saved his most downbeat press conference appearance since his arrival in England for the moment of ultimate triumph. He looked emotionally spent by the mental exertion of righting what had appeared to be a sinking ship. After seeing his team complete the job, Pereira seemed to have nothing left. 'I'm a bit tired today,' he said. 'The game took a lot of energy, I'm thinking about the next game and winning the three points. I'm not looking at the relegation zone, I want my players to look for the position that we can reach with the next three points.' Pereira might not have been in the headspace to celebrate. But there are thousands of Wolves fans ready to do it for him. There was sadness at Wolves at how O'Neil's once-promising reign unravelled in its final months, eventually leaving the club feeling they had no option but to make a change following a 2-1 loss at home to another of the strugglers, Ipswich Town. None of the leading candidates they had identified as replacements — they made discreet enquiries to David Moyes and Graham Potter, among others — showed an interest in taking the job. Advertisement O'Neil remained liked and respected for what he had achieved in 2023-24, having picked up the pieces from Julen Lopetegui's eve-of-the-season walkout and steered Wolves to a 14th-place finish, 20 points clear of the bottom three, while overseeing some memorable victories. Yet by the time he and his coaching staff were removed six days before Christmas, there was a feeling that things had become overcomplicated, that the inexperienced O'Neil — who had less than a season of management with Bournemouth before succeeding Lopetegui — had thrown every idea he had at trying drag his team out of its death spiral and had succeeded only in creating more confusion, and that discipline had eroded amid feelings of frustration and desperation. Wolves' captain at the time, Mario Lemina, launching into a post-match meltdown after defeat at West Ham United earlier in the month, was a clear sign that, while O'Neil retained affection and respect among his players and colleagues, his authority had waned. Matheus Cunha's bizarre elbow and theft of glasses in an on-pitch fracas after the Ipswich defeat was the final straw for the Wolves hierarchy, who decided they had to act. Jorge Mendes, the Portuguese 'superagent' whose links to the club had never fully been dismantled following a more central role years earlier, stepped forward to offer former Fenerbahce and Olympiacos coach Pereira's services, and Wolves accepted. The results were immediate. Pereira did get lucky with fixtures, with his first three games coming against a woeful Leicester, a crisis-hit Manchester United and a Tottenham Hotspur going through major injury issues, but his instant success was down to more than fortunate timing. The arrival of Pereira and his staff was 'like putting on an old pair of slippers', said one staff member, referring to the familiarity of a Portuguese coaching staff with a commitment to a three-man central defence. The appointment brought echoes of Nuno Espirito Santo's successful tenure and colleagues felt comfortable immediately. Advertisement There were differences, naturally. Pereira's manner is more personable and less intense than Nuno's, while his use of a 3-4-3 formation is aligned to more front-footed, high-pressing principles than the lower-block, counter-attacking approach Nuno used to such historic effect during his four years at the helm from 2017-2021. But the atmosphere created by the sense of familiarity — not least because of Pereira's instant ability to communicate with the squad's Portuguese-speaking core — was a welcome relief after those final weeks under O'Neil. For his part, Pereira was struck most starkly by the lack of confidence in the squad he inherited. It was clear to the new head coach that the season the team had endured, and especially the farcical scenes that followed O'Neil's final game against Ipswich, when both Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri became involved in needless skirmishes that laid bare the mental state of the side, had taken a heavy toll and left the mentality extremely fragile. His main solution to the issue was tactical clarity, removing any doubt in players' minds about their jobs. From his opening training session, Pereira simplified things, outlined a more straightforward system and put players in positions they were comfortable with — although Matt Doherty's successful move to the right-sided centre-back of a back three was the exception to the rule. Defending set pieces had been O'Neil's unsolvable problem. Pereira quickly concluded that the confidence-sapping season was to blame, with nervousness causing players to freeze in key moments. By convincing them of their own ability, Pereira believes he freed them up to take the initiative at corners and free kicks. While a graph of Wolves' rolling expected goals (xG) for and against suggests O'Neil had begun to narrow the alarming gap, Pereira cemented the trend. 'In the first training session, the team were very open to receiving the idea,' Pereira said at a recent media conference. 'I spoke before that with the team, saying to them that they have quality, because if not, I wouldn't have come here. But we could play at a better level, defend better than we were defending and increase our level in attack. Advertisement 'But the most important thing is confidence. Since the first day until today, we have been working to build an identity. 'We arrived with a tactical idea to sell and we had to prove to them (the players), with results, that we were working in the right way. There is nothing magic, but with small things, we can connect the people.' Staff at Wolves agree. They say there was no 'silver bullet' or single trick that Pereira employed to turn around their form. There were minor alterations, such as players eating together at the same time and bringing back the hotel stays before home games that O'Neil had scrapped, restoring some of the discipline that had been lost in minor ways, but generally, staff members say, Pereira's biggest impact at the training ground was a new level of clarity in his plans and a level of authority that his extra experience could command. While O'Neil's approach was generally to make his players as happy and comfortable as possible, Pereira subtly brought a disciplinarian edge to the club. Most of the tactical work was done on the training field but in the corridors of the club's Compton Park training ground, Pereira focused on the players' mentality. There were squad meetings that emphasised Pereira's belief in the players' ability and how following his plans would help them unlock it again. He also held a series of one-on-one meetings in which he tapped into any flaws in individual players' psyches and tried to repair them. While Compton is smaller than some of the training grounds Pereira had worked at previously, those close to the coach say its compact nature helped him restore a feeling of unity, enabling him and his coaches to drop impromptu words of encouragement in players' ears during the inevitable chance meetings that occurred regularly in the corridors and canteen. Advertisement Pereira also points to the victory in his opening game at Leicester as crucial to the turnaround. In just a few days at the club, it became clear that some of the bonds between players, staff and supporters had frayed amid the weight of negative results. While he believed repairing them would be a gradual process, an emphatic 3-0 victory and the sound of fans chanting his name at the King Power Stadium did, he believes, help accelerate it. O'Neil had shown a more ruthless streak in dealing with Lemina, stripping the midfielder of the captaincy after those embarrassing post-match scenes at West Ham. Pereira took things a stage further. After watching Lemina flounder as a substitute in the 3-0 home loss against Nottingham Forest on January 6 — his first appearance for the new coach after injury — Pereira removed him from his first-team plans. While he allowed Lemina to continue training with his colleagues, he made it clear to Wolves that he did not want an experienced player whose mind was elsewhere sticking around. The 31-year-old Gabon international had to go. Once the club had arranged Lemina's transfer to Turkish club Galatasaray, Pereira took an equally firm stance with Craig Dawson. The 34-year-old defender was not in his first-team plans, so, while there was no suggestion of disciplinary issues, Pereira decided he did not want a disgruntled senior player hanging around and potentially affecting the group's mood. After the former West Ham centre-back had turned down possible deadline-day moves to Championship clubs, Pereira made it clear his Wolves career was effectively over. While Dawson will remain a paid employee until his contract expires this summer, he has been excused from training since shortly after the transfer window closed in early February. Removing any such potential distractions has been credited by staff with ensuring the squad have stayed focus, although the start of the transfer window did bring about the only real bump on the road to survival. Advertisement The victories against Leicester and Manchester United and a draw at Tottenham in his first three games were followed by successive defeats against Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Arsenal that Pereira attributes to two factors. First, he believes those opponents represented a step up in quality that his players were not ready for so early in the process of learning his tactical plan. While his side enjoyed promising spells of possession in each of those games, they were not yet well enough drilled defensively to handle the attacking quality of opponents near the top of the table. But, in Pereira's eyes, the main reason for the blip was the distraction of the window. He had done his best to limit the outside noise by being clear on his stance with Dawson, removing Lemina from selection, and being firm with Cunha, but he believes the speculation over the futures of Lemina and Cunha took players' eyes off the ball. Once Lemina was gone and Cunha had signed a new contract that meant he would not depart until at least the summer, staff noticed a clear change in the focus of the group. And one of O'Neil's final acts also turned out to be crucial to Pereira's turnaround. When he took the captain's armband from Lemina, O'Neil handed it on to Nelson Semedo, who one staff member described as 'a revelation' in the role. The Portugal international, whose contract expires at the end of the season, took the lead on squad-bonding matters, organising meals out to Fjaka, the Croatian restaurant in Wolverhampton run by the wife of injured striker Sasa Kalajdzic, and a paintball day for the team, as well as becoming a louder voice in the dressing room. 'Nelson is fantastic,' said Pereira. 'That's why we need to keep him. He connects everyone because he thinks about the team every time. He tried to help me solve the problems. 'If I have some issues, he tries to help. If a team-mate has some issues, he tries to help. He tries to help every time. He is this kind of person, and he does it with class.' The chances of Pereira getting his way over re-signing Semedo appear slim, with the wing-back still expected to leave on a free, but the head coach is expected to have a major say in summer business having helped change the course of Wolves' winter window. Advertisement While Emmanuel Agbadou was already among the club's potential signings before the window opened in the new year, Pereira's desire to sign him propelled his name to the top of the list above other centre-backs, including Kevin Danso. Though Wolves returned with a fresh attempt to sign Danso at the end of the window, they prioritised Agbadou early on and the Ivory Coast international has been the biggest single on-field difference between O'Neil's team and Pereira's. And although Wolves' recruitment team were aware of Marshall Munetsi, it is virtually inconceivable they would have pursued the Zimbabwe midfielder had Pereira not insisted he wanted him for a specific role in his team. On the back of those successful signings, Pereira has earned himself a bigger voice in discussions over summer targets, and he has already signalled his willingness to work without top-scorer Cunha next season. Pereira took a softer approach to Cunha's lapses than with Lemina, conscious that the Brazil international was his most likely match-winner, but did call out his body language in the defeat at Chelsea in late January and refused to put the forward on a pedestal when asked about the possible effects of his recent four-game suspension. Now, while he retains a high level of respect for Cunha's talents, Pereira is relishing the chance to build a team less reliant on a single player for inspiration and without the 25-year-old's ability becoming a distraction. Pereira knows that Wolves will lose players in the summer, with Cunha and Ait-Nouri two saleable assets likely to depart, while other more peripheral players will inevitably move on. But he is relishing the chance to further mould the squad to his own requirements. As for the head coach, his contract will enter its final year this summer, as he only signed an 18-month deal when he was appointed. Having been burned by O'Neil's reign unravelling just months after he was handed a four-year contract in August, Wolves are not expected to rush into offering his successor a similar long-term arrangement. Yet they are keen for their much-travelled coach, who has managed clubs from Brazil to China via Germany and Saudi Arabia, to put down roots with them, and Pereira is loving life in Wolverhampton. Advertisement Having waited for most of his career for a chance in the Premier League and narrowly missing out twice on the managerial role at Everton, Pereira is in no mood to walk away. He has become a cult hero among Wolves fans, helped by his habit of mingling with them in local pubs. It is expected that talks over a new contract will be held once what is going to be another big summer window for the club has closed. Wolves supporters will be conscious, after O'Neil went from hero to zero in a few months, that it is still early days for Pereira when it comes to cementing his status. Yet right now, he is riding a wave of adulation and respect, having restored authority and clarity and saved a season that was spiralling out of control.
